The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1887-06-24
A TOWN OF THE PAST.
Shepherdstown in the Shenandoah VAL
ley, and Its Romances.
special Correspondence

|
| WHEELING, W. Va, June Is.
| At the head of the beautiful valley of the
Shenandoah, on the bank of the river Swans
| lies 4 small town of about roc inhabitants
| To the casual observer the sleepy village
| possesses no object of especial interest, save
that of the picturesque scenery surrounding
| it. In the spring of 1884 number of Ger
| man emgrants, moving southwark through
pennsylvania and by way of the Upper Hun
| dred of Frederick county, Nd, crossed the
| Potomac at what was then called the "Pack
Horse Ford, and formed settlement Oh the
| right bank of the river, about mile above
the ford, Mindful Of their former homes i'm
| fatherland, they named their infant colony
Mecklenburg, which it continued to be called
| until l760, when Thomas Shepherd one of its
citizens, who owned the land immediately adj
joining, had portion of his property laid Off
Ill town lots, and obtaining charter of ntor
poration from the Virginia house of h,r
~essrs. had the name of the village changed
to Sii.'r riSiown
wi '.i"iIh>t',ndins the fact that in l14l Sir
Alexander Spotswood led his knights of the
Golden Horseshoe to the summit of the Blue
Ride-e mountains and brought back GLOW iu.
descriptions of the fertile region hr, ,u,i
this Was only he second settlement in t!,;r
Wild. picturesque atnl remote valley Win
ciies'ei, lnl45 ttie frontier outpost OF the col
onv, was established but two years before
ohtphertistown, therefore, is the oldest town
IN west virginia. Many traditions have
COM "n"h I" us fr'hn those early pioneers
On the turnpike not far from tile town is a
hollow just below what is known as the "Bip
Hill There, 1t Is said, the Indians long
years h"n bound white woman to an ouk
AMI T. nell y t.l.f h.,
now tile t~i':;','l tr,, crr as lie passes by is
sure to feel her warm breath fan his chasf,
II he has vivid imagination added to Tam
OShait'l's falling. liz the wusiS inst Lavond
cialtkng clalt:s are heslI, ,i!ti he;uiless horse
men aboud, aiii the superstition. in,it,tt4 tho
unfortunate lchaboi Game, in thar tEnv in,
Vafiahly Meet h's OF tn,s. interesting sj,ee
teis, though. nniike him, they live to tslthe
Tale TO ANY who viii heiieve Between the
hoiIow ami the woods i'll ante-revolutionarv
uatS, sfood an nm known as Travellers Rest
anu the story runs that Washington when
Oil ms way tn survey Lord Fairfaxis vast
territory OF land, sop i there over night
and Joined i'll n dance that was pnino on
The house. with its old fashioned fireplaces
set across the corners, was afterward altarad
and 'i'l,ied to as n private residence, but tiur.
mg tue civil war it was burned to the pronna
Across ile railroad to the left of the famous
Morgan's spring, where in the early summer
OF 40 one OF the three companies
at Shepheldstown sent out to FIGHT
IN defense of American liberty.n the
first in all the south to cross the Potomac.
maae It's celebrated "bee line march for Bos-
ION ABOUT witch so much has been said and
sung. When Washington saw the familiar
hunting shirts and heard them report from
1tanNt kAE h. ID
shed tears OF joy, and, dismounting. walked;
down the line and grasped each hardy minute
man hy the hand. In every war that has oe-
Cured since then-the Indian wars of tba
west, the war of 1912, the Mexican war. the
Florida war and the late civil war--shey,.
herdstown has always borne her part. and
has been honorably represented by MANY of
ner gallant sons. A quarter of mile walk
do"n the railroad track brings MS to the
lower end OF the main street of the town. a
mile or neatly painted churches. dwelling
houses and stores. On the hill two brick
churches face each other-the German Re-
formed and Lutheran. In the German Re.
formed churchyard are many old sandstone
tombstones, roughly hewed and lettered in
German. The oldest are doubtless sunk in
the ground or crumbled away, as the remain~
ing ones are half in that condition now.
The chime Of bells up in the belfry has
reached "green old age," and the solid ma
soniy OF the stone tower which was built for
it is the only part now left of the original
church where the Lutheran and German Re-
formed congregations formerly worshiped
together. The date on the Oldest of the three
bells IS 1859, and the second bell was given
oy Micnaei Xeasiey, worthy citizen of the
town. When the bell arrived it was taken to
his house, still standing on the main street,
where 1t was filled with wine, and then both
minister and congregation joined in q rather
unique fashion OF dedicating it TO the church.
Ihe custom OF tolling the passing bell is al
ways observed, and on New Years eve the
old chimes toll out the dying year and ring in
welcome to the new
Shepherdstown is well supplied with
churches and schools. and during its colonial
life was quite flourishing place. Among it's
industries were tanneries, where besides the
hides of domestic animals, tile skins of deer
were prepared, buckslsin breeches being the
ordinary wear of its men. 1t also had a eun
factory and one for making files, and they
tell us OF the time when goods from whole
sale houses were wagoned to Winchester and
all parts OF the lower valley. It has, besides
all this, furnished three governors to Ohio.
VIE, Ilfffn, Morrow and Worthinyton, who
were natives OF the place, ami five members
OF congress, viz, Morrow, Baker, Swear
ingen, Bedinger and Boiler.
A few hundred yards more down the rail-
road track brings US to where the Shenan-
doah railroad bridge crosses the river at a
distance OF 10 feet above the water. Ths
view from the bridge is surprisingly beAuti-
full, with the smooth green slope OF the Mary
land shore down to the canal; and on the Vir-
ginia side the tall cliffs, with alternate bare
rocks and rich foliage Near by is the custo-
mary "Lover's Leap" which every river
claims. This tale is of dusky Indian
maiden and her lover from another tribe.
Naturally, "the match didn't happen to please
the old folk" so the unhappy pair deter
mined to drown their woes and preeipitated
themselves from the cliff into the river be-
low. But greater interest than that of In
dian legends pertains to Shepherdstown, for it
gave to the world the first success
full steamboat. This boat was invented
by James kunsey. in 1883, and exhib-
tied to the public on the Potomac. here
LII l7S6, after bavihg previously been tested
III private III the presence OF number OF
Rnmsey personal friends, aniosig whom was
ten. Washington, Part at the boiler of this
steamboat was presented by Hon. A. R.
Boiler, 10 tie ahilaiieirhia Historical society.
AMI The s,hau which workesf over the boiler
and was the motive power fell ualiurt a,non:.
the ruins of Col Rotlers library, when it, w,.s
burned by Gen Hunter. i'll 1864 Ir Was th,4.
given to the Smithsonian institute, at Wash.
ington.e -,,. ,..-..-
Runsey died in London of apoplexy before
he had completed his invention, and twenty
years later Rohert Fulton, whom Rumsey; ia
letters which are still extifnt. mentions as
having met in England, launched the Cler.
mont on the Hudson.
Shephertistowa has nos grown much since
the revolutionary war, when it had almost az
many inhabitants as now. IL seenas, in faes.
TO be taking Rip Van Winkle sleep of
century, and it Is tn he. hoped that it
that it will sooa wake from its ,lethargy4 to a
OF the natural s,lvai.r:t- =. il
possesses !ss w. III. L,
Whims of European People.
The whlms OF some European countries arr
summed up IN German newspaper. ain the
best French society it Is the fashion to initiate
inc languages aud manners OF the street: i,
Sermany one s siekened by the dried grass
snd plants, which are used as decorations ,a,,
utCf,n 4 y A.